Just half a year behind, the band released their latest album "Access Denied" in early 2013. In the interview with Nikita (keyboardist/singer/producer to Hammerforce) last April, he promised to render the album "Access Denied" into Russian version. So, here we received a copy of Hammerforce latest release, "Dostup Zakryt". It's kind of slightly awkward to review the Russian version album into English language article, but we stand in the believe of "
If you haven't read Metal Harem review on "Access Denied" , you no need. I'm going to re-phrase most of the song impression here, and added more as my knowledge on the album has grow better. Tvoya Voyna is the opener with that epic symphonic intro. At first it sounds like Kamelot-type of choir intro when only in 00:40 a modernist come in. Signature synthesizer voices redefined the song from traditional power metal into modern sounds, cross breeding metal and electronica. Listen to the middle break at 01:55 and enjoy awesome guitar solos afterward. Stereotipy is neo-classical in the intro, then this another power metal song completed with layered choir as backing vocal. And in this song at 02:11 we again presented with dance-riffs, right after the most muscular metal solos before-ward. Nikto is a more traditional galloping power metal song, although again updated to modernist right when the verses sung. Beglets is the peak of hip hop vs metal combination, this song simply said the combination is working! The other three compositions, Mass-Media with its blasting drum roll, Vtoraya Zemlya with its power metal riff and Smena Pokoleniy with its down tempo grooves, all give us the opportunity to dig in the detail the new innovation of metal Hammerforce offered to us. Finally, Razmyshleniya is the resting point, started with slow acoustic guitar intro, this track quickly developed into instrumental showcase of each instrumentalist creativity. The last track Dostup Zakryt is a rewind of their bombastic power-synthesizer metal tunes.
Another first thing to mentioned is, Dostup Zakryt stayed similar to their English theme (as Google translated indicated) and in this album it was Nikita Merzlyakov himself that duties on lead vocals, where the English version was done by Dmitry Yanovskiy. Again, I re-phrase, this is easily the most consistent fast and loud power metal album so far for this year. Because each of their song are consistently fantastic. The good things about their eclectic styles is, I believe it will attracts listeners from several disciplines. Gaining bits of respect from power metal camp, from progressive metal for their technical instrumentation element, from modernist - think of Dragonforce fanbase will also enjoy this, and even from detractor of dubstep and hip hop territory. The band is fresh and struggling to come out big from Russia, so if you think this review is over persuasive, well, it is! Grab the album fast.
Metal Harem class: ********* eight stars out of ten
Hammerforce - Dostup Zakryt (2013)
support the band and buy the album exclusively here:
Bandcamp: http://hammerforce.bandcamp.com/album/dostup-zakryt
iTunes: http://itunes.apple.com/album/id690644507
CDBaby: http://cdbaby.com/cd/hammerforce6
1. Твоя Война / Tvoya Voyna 04:52
2. Стереотипы / Stereotipy 03:44
3. Никто / Nikto 05:17
4. Масс-медиа / Mass-Media 05:17
5. Беглец / Beglets 03:55
6. Вторая Земля / Vtoraya Zemlya 05:42
7. Смена Поколений / Smena Pokoleniy 04:16
8. Размышления / Razmyshleniya 03:53 (instrumental)
9. Доступ Закрыт / Dostup Zakryt 04:20
Ilya Kapralov - guitars, bass
Nikita Merzlyakov - keyboards, synths
Ilya Mamaev - guitars
Aleksandr "Ariets" Zhuchihin - drums
Dmitriy "Ian Breeg" Yanovskiy - vocals
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